If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader—John Quincy Adams. Effective school leaders possess a complex set of knowledge, skills, and standards. Education is about determining how to learn and helping those around you to discover their own visions and potential. It is the responsibility of an effective leader to be a catalyst of change and a source of inspiration and encouragement. Personal Story Even at a young age, I had a love for teaching and always knew that would be my profession. Making school desks out of sticks and mud while giving my Baby Alive her assignments is a fond and cherished memory I have dating back to my early childhood. At 4 years old, I pushed my mom to allow me to start school a year early because my brother was starting first grade, and I didn’t want to be left out. After being with the same twenty students for eight years, I entered middle school along with nearly 400 other students. Middle school became a turning point in my life, and I knew I had to depend on myself if I wanted to achieve my goals. I kept my grades up and continued to excel in my honors classes. Throughout my high school years, many teachers inspired me and others disappointed me. It was because of this that I decided I wanted to be the teacher that gives students the desire to achieve and not the teacher that loves to humiliate. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I knew English would be my field of expertise thanks to my senior English teacher. She was a teacher that set high expectations, demanded excellent work, and never gave up on me when I thought I couldn’t do it. Receiving an A in her class was the highlight of my high school career! Than... ... middle of paper ... ...ing seems so overwhelming, but exciting at the same time. Following the suggestions in the reading and watching the videos of successful principals is both stressful and encouraging. When I start something, I want to be the best at it. It’s nice to see this can be accomplished through hard work and surrounding yourself with the best support system possible. As a teacher, I had a tendency to think principals have too much time on their hands, when in reality, it’s the complete opposite. Just because they aren’t in a classroom full of students all day doesn’t mean they’re not just as busy as the rest of us—most of the time—more! I have gained a new respect for the amount of time and energy it takes to be an effective principal, and hope I can be as successful and caring as the principals I have had the opportunity to work for during my 18-year teaching career.
Leading organizations of school administrators offer educators various opportunities to encourage educators to become leaders. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has mandated that leaders be better prepared for the task of providing quality education to all. NCLB “… is forcing all educational stakeholders to face the weakness of contemporary school leadership and is making it impossible to ignore the need for higher quality principals” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). It is believed that all educators can be and are leaders in their own right. A leader is a visionary and has the ability to inspire others to aspire to greatness. Of the numerous opportunities that are offered, those that are most beneficial include but are not limited to leadership training programs, professional development, and creating shared leadership opportunities for teachers to become leaders. The systems “…that produce our nation’s principals are complex and interrelated – and governed by the states. Each state establishes licensing, certification and re-certification” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). States use the ISLLC standards “…as the framework for preparation programs and in service professional development of school superintendents, principals, and other leaders” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.3).
Frank, V. V. (2009, September). Framework for Improvement: Effective School Leadership Translates into Increased Student Learning. The Learning Principal: National Staff Development Council , pp. 2, 6-7.
Two years ago School District 74 organized a series of leadership workshops designed to strengthen the leadership performance of school administration and teaching staff. Participants were encouraged to think of themselves as leaders and to identify situations in which they were or could be leaders. The idea seemed to be not only that our school system will be improved through the development of strong leadership (on its own an important recognition), but also that anyone (and everyone) can be a leader in his or her own position within the system. This is a ridiculous idea. If leadership is approached as the only label that designates personal merit or importance, then the implication is that followers are less capable, less thoughtful and less important than leaders. If everyone is a leader, then the idea of leadership quickly loses its meaning; leadership implies followership, and without followers leaders could never lead effectively. Past emphasis on leadership has largely ignored the reciprocal relationship between leadership and followership. The purpose of this paper is to briefly discuss followership, and to acknowledge its importance to organizations, especially school systems.
As a public school superintendent and educational leader, one is routinely required to wear many hats and take on numerous responsibilities. These responsibilities can be separated into the two categories of management and educational leadership. Educational leader responsibilities range from curriculum development, staff evaluations and professional development. Managing a school system include budgeting, facility referendum implementation and communicating to all of the stakeholders of the school district.
An educational leader promotes the success of every student by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conductive to student learning and staff professional growth.
It is my belief that anyone with a desire to change the world would be fortunate to work in education. By sharing my vision with others, and building upon my skills while seeking constant growth, I strive to take an approach to leadership that fosters an effective, nurturing educational environment for the entire school community. By creating this type of environment, as well as through embracing and enhancing my leadership strengths, it is my goal to contribute to society by inspiring people to become better not only as teachers and students, but as compassionate human beings.
Building Leadership Capacity in Schools by Linda Lambert touched on a number of key ideas. Lambert provided examples from different schools, principals, and her experiences on obtaining and sustaining leadership capacity while developing her character. Lambert points out that to build leadership capacity in schools there should be participation by parents, students, and staff. Also these are the same characteristic as to becoming a great character in society. In this paper I will talk about the staff and there level of participation. Lambert points out that conversation with individuals about their roles as a leader should take place as individuals take on the task of leadership and character development. One key element in the text was the level of participation and degree of skillfulness for leadership capacity while trying to discover your character. Another element in the text that I found key was to break the dependency relationships on staff and the principal. As we work toward building leadership capacity and charcter, it will take time and time is a big factor on building leadership capacity because there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that we would like to do without strategically planning leadership meetings.
To be a leader you need to be able to inspire others, get people motivated, and set an example to other people. A leader needs to do all of these because if one of these aspects fails people don’t look at the leader...
In developing my own educational leadership model (MELM) I began with establishing what I believe the goal of education should be, since leaders by definition are leading people towards something. The goal of education is to effectively teach students the essential skills and knowledge they will need to establish a productive, positive, self-sufficient life where they can be active members of their communities. An effective leader, while working towards this goal will need to consider the present conditions and demands of the environment they are a part of. In the field of education, both internal and external factors are of crucial importance when developing a plan to lead for success. However, one must note the variables in education are different than those the business sector face, for example; student performance, ability and cultural differences; availability/condition of supplies and materials; goal; educator’s capability, views and attitudes; conditionality of economic support; openness/hostility of influencing communities; state or government performance mandates. A leader who knows where they (students, school, district, community) are now, can approach goals more clearly and develop more effective strategies to arrive at them.
To begin out of the countless professions one has to chose from in the world today I have chosen to become a teacher. I have chosen to become a teacher because I myself am a product of some whom I consider to be the best teachers in the world. As a child in North Carolina I was inspired by a wonderful woman named Mrs. Hollyfield. Mrs. Hollyfield taught me that no star was too far out of reach, if I put my mind to accomplishing my goal I could make it. Mrs. Hollyfield inspired me to be the best I could be at anything I wanted to be. As I have grown I have had other important teachers, some whom I am surrounded by daily whom inspire me to set out to accomplish my dreams. These wonderful inspiring people in my life have led me to the decision of becoming a teacher.
Growing up and having such a set career in mind, I knew who to follow around during my summers. Often tagging alongside my two aunts to their classrooms in Des Moines and Ankeny, I would help set up and take down the elementary classrooms. I loved having such a close connection and experience with the school system even when school was not in action. As a young child, I noticed everything, the way my aunt set up her library, charts, desks, and lesson plans, even down to the decor, I saw it all. I thought to myself, “Is this how I would teach and arrange things?” As I approach my graduation quickly and advance to my career training, I continue to collaborate new ideas for my future classroom. Not only did my family have a wonderful impact on my life to new opportunities at such a young age, all my elementary, intermediate, and high school teachers help in sharing their knowledge of teaching.
My interest in teaching started at a young age. I used to watch my teachers in awe as they were able to find new ways to get their students involved and excited to learn. Their enthusiasm to teach was so inspiring. I would often find myself using that same fervor as I grasped each concept. I, then, was able to relay it to my fellow classmates as a peer tutor. To this day, becoming a teacher is a passion that flows through me. However, my enthusiasm and passion are not the only reasons I would be a good teacher. I aspire to see a student’s ability to grasp the knowledge they never before understood. I aspire to see a student succeed at something they never thought they ever could. I aspire to not only support students with academic skills, but also with life lessons about the value of community, pride in one’s own ethnicity, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and more. I aspire to play a fundamental role in ensuring that all students from all cultures and learning abilities have the opportunity to be guided in a positive learning
When I was growing up, I remember attending elementary school, learning a new language seems to be difficult at first, but I was able to learn the English language because of the dedication of one of my teachers. Now, as I reflect on this experience, it is obvious that she was dedicated and enjoyed teaching her students to be successful. I know today that she made a difference in my life as I navigated through my education experience and high school years to present.
A leader can be defined as a personal natural / nurtures capabilities to influence, inspire and band together a group of people to achieve a personal or group goal. In my own view, education leaders are tasked with establishing a vision for school improvement, develop a system to ensure student learning and increase achievement, and initiate change to spur innovations.
With the proper guidance and support, teachers can achieve academic excellence in the classroom. They follow their principal’s vision and share their goals. Teachers also serve as leaders in their classroom. They share their vision and goals with their students promoting positive attitudes in the classroom. Just like it is important for principals to respect and understand what their teachers need, students also need the support, understanding, respect and empathy from their teachers. When teachers demonstrate commitment in the classroom and set high expectations they raise the level of learning in the classroom. Teachers that work with the students and their parents to understand and meet their needs will achieve positive academic outcomes. Students engage in learning with positive attitudes and strive for high achievements. Teachers work together with their leaders to improve their teaching